Using Simulations to Teach Library Skills In a Suburban Elementary School by James R Stearns A Master s Project For ED 7999 Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies Graduate Division of Wayne State University Detroit Michigan In partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of MASTER OF ARTS IN TEACHING May 2004 Major Social Studies Education Approved by Bob Pettapiece Date i TABLE OF CONTENTS I CHAPTER ONE Introduction 1 II CHAPTER TWO Review of Related Literature 4 III CHAPTER THREE Methodology of the Study 11 IV CHAPTER FOUR Findings 17 V CHAPTER FIVE Conclusions Recommendations and Observations 22 VI REFERENCES 25 VI APPENDIX A Library Appreciation Survey 28 VII APPENDIX B Simulation cast photograph 30 VIII APPENDIX C PowerPoint Show 32 IX APPENDIX D Clues to Frankenstein s hiding spot 39 X APPENDIX E Library Appreciation Survey Results 41 XI APPENDIX F Class Ranking 43 ii CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION The Situation Elementary age students stream in to the school media center more or less in single file following behind their classroom teacher to return their books and maybe check out some more if their teacher makes them Subdued and beaten down by the previous librarian who held the post for almost 40 years and had very exacting standards regarding how students should behave in the library the children are downcast and uncomfortable in the media center The vast majority come because they have to not because they love books and are eager to check out a new one Their library skills are weak to non existent Despite repeated instruction on how to find works of fiction almost without exception when asked how to find such a book the students are unable to say by the author s last name And as for non fiction and the Dewey Decimal System they do not have a clue Despite state of the art facilities and an extremely user friendly computerized catalog system the children s first method of trying to locate a book is to ask the librarian where it is The Need Teaching library skills to elementary school children and fostering a love of the media center and all it offers is extremely important to today s students They live and learn in a world that has been revolutionarily changed by immediately accessible reams of information in a bewilderingly wide array of formats According to the American Association of School Librarians AASL The information explosion has provided countless opportunities for 1 students and has dramatically altered the knowledge and abilities they will need to live productively in the twenty first century Students must become skillful consumers and producers of information in a range of sources and formats to thrive personally and economically in the communication age AASL 1998 p 2 Clearly the media center programs must be engaging and imaginative in order to capture the attention of today s students so that they can develop the information expertise they will need to flourish Educators must look for ways to create enthusiasm among students for learning and help them develop strategies for locating the information that is available to them Accordingly the teaching strategies employed should promote information literacy and fun at the same time Purpose of the Study The purpose of the study is twofold It is designed to examine whether students will develop a more positive attitude towards the media center through the use of a simulation and it will test student s knowledge of library skills before and after the simulation to see if their scores improve Significance of the Study The concept that students learn best by actively seeking to construct meaning form their experiences has been endorsed by the American Association of School Librarians which states Contemporary learning theory describes the student as an active and engaged information user and underscores the importance of students developing 2 information expertise ASSL 1998 p 2 This study should be of interest to all educators who are committed to teaching students how to access information in a way that is student centered and actively engages them What the information age really needs is people who have skills and skills go way beyond the mere knowledge of facts What students must learn today is the skill to access information Therefore examining whether simulations or role playing if you will can be useful in creating this kind of educational environment should be of significance to all educators Population This study was conducted in an affluent suburban K 5 elementary school located outside a major city in midwestern America Three classes participated in the study a second grade class a third grade class and a fourth grade class The second grade class was comprised of 22 students including 21 students of Western European background and 1 African American There were 13 girls and 9 boys In the third grade class there were 22 students including 21 students with a Western European ancestry and 1 student whose parents came from India There were 12 girls and 10 boys The fourth grade class was comprised of 24 students including 22 with Western European ancestry 1 African American and 1 Hispanic There were 11 girls and 13 boys The study was conducted in February and March of 2004 Summary To infuse students in an affluent suburban K 5 elementary school with love for the media center and the knowledge required to function productively in the information rich 21st century this study was undertaken to see if simulations would be an effective 3 teaching technique In addition to examining the need for the study this chapter also elaborated upon the purpose significance and population involved CHAPTER TWO REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE Introduction This chapter contains a review of literature pertaining to the role of simulations in education Several interrelated areas are discussed including role playing and the use of drama in the classroom along with the theory of Multiple Intelligences Theoretical Bases John Dewey who arguably has made the greatest contribution to educational theory in the Twentieth century felt that education was overly concerned with imparting factual information through textbooks and in his opinion this was not a good method of instruction so he began experimenting with more student participation and learning through experience Dewey felt that basic academic skills should be acquired through hands on experience Dewey 1938 Thus in perhaps one of the most succinct distillations of his philosophy